What’s new on shelf: luxurious biscuits from Godiva, novel mushroom snacks and popped lotus seeds from India
Melt my heart
Snacking company pladis has launched limited edition McVitie’s Choco Hearts in time for Valentine’s Day.
The cakes feature triple chocolate and pink heart sprinkles and are available across grocery and convenience channels in the UK in packs of four cake squares with a RRP of £1.00.
The cakes feature triple chocolate and pink heart sprinkles and retail at £1 for a pack of four.
All you need is ...
The McVitie’s maker is also taking its premium chocolate brand Godiva into the luxury biscuits category – the brand’s first venture into biscuits for multiple retail distribution.
The Godiva Masterpieces Biscuits range is available in three variants: Caramel Lion (a smooth caramel filling enrobed in milk chocolate); Ganache Heart (dark chocolate covering a ganache filling); and Hazelnut Oyster (milk chocolate and hazelnut praline filling).
The biscuits are sold in packs of 10 individually wrapped biscuits for an RSP of £4.00, exclusively available in Sainsbury’s stores across the UK in time for the Valentine’s Day.
The range will roll out elsewhere in September 2019.
Love me tender
British company G’s Fresh Group has expanded its Love Fresh range of healthy, ready to eat snacks.
The new products are packed in convenient trays with around 80g of ready-to-eat vegetables – including celery, mini cucumber, mini tomato and carrot – along with 35g of Philadelphia cheese for dipping, making them a super nutritious snack between meals.
G’s is one of Europe’s leading fresh produce companies, established in 1952.
The family business is a vertically integrated grower-to-marketing organization, managing the entire process from seed to shelf with farms and production facilities in the UK, Spain, Eastern Europe, the US and South Africa.
The Love Fresh brand was created in Murcia by Grupo G`s España to make hectic lifestyles easier and healthier with fresh, high quality products.
All 'mushy' over you
US mushroom grower South Mill Champs has launched a new snack food venture called Shrooms Snacks with a line up that include four product lines made from whole mushrooms.
According to the Pennsylvania-based company, mushrooms are a superfood, packed with nutrients like vitamins D and B, selenium, potassium, zinc and copper, as well as being a good source of fiber.
Mushrooms are also one of the only foods that contain germanium, a trace mineral that helps the body to use oxygen efficiently and prevents against damaging effects of free radicals.
The range includes:
Shrooms Crispy Mushrooms: crunchy snacks made from thick-cut mushrooms – available in five flavors, including Sea Salt, Spicy Jalapeno, Mesquite Barbeque, Pizza and Original Portabella – for a RRP of $5.00 for a 2oz pack.
Shrooms Mushroom Jerky: made from shiitake and portabella mushroom caps that have been deep marinated to produce three intense flavors, including Honey Chipotle Shiitake, Roasted Teriyaki Portabella and Original Portabella, available at a RRP of $6.99 for a 2.5oz pack.
Shrooms Splits Jerky: pairs marinated portabella mushroom jerky with other jerky varieties including Turkey, Berries, Filet Mignon and Peppered Beef, retailing at $7.99 per 2.5oz pack.
Shrooms Snack Bar: allergy-friendly, made from pure, wholesome ingredients in two variants – Crispy Mushroom Chocolate Chunk and Crispy Mushroom Sweet & Savory – with a RRP of $7.96 for a 4-pack and $1.99 for a single pack.
All the products are nut- and dairy-free, with the majority being gluten-free, vegan and kosher. Shrooms Crispy Mushroom Snacks are also non-GMO Project Verified.
Available on Amazon.
The love of friends
Meli’s Monster Cookies is rolling out a gluten-free baking mix in 4,000 Walmarts across the US.
The retail giant also carries the brand’s already-baked, frozen varieties.
Long-time friends Melissa Blue and Melissa Mehall created Meli’s, using a recipe passed down from Blue’s mother-in-law.
The recipe calls for rolled oats and peanut butter in place of flour and sugar, making it gluten-free.
With more than three million people in the US following a gluten-free diet and the global gluten-free food market predicted to grow at a 12% CAGR between 2018 to 2022, Meli’s is set to capitalize on the growing gluten-free trend.
The cookies are also available at HEB, Meijer and Jewel-Osco stores.
Opposites attract
Kettle Brand has introduced a new variety to its snack portfolio.
Wasabi Ranch Krinkle Cut Potato Chips are said to blend creamy ranch and spicy wasabi for an ‘unexpected flavor fusion’.
The potato chips are gluten-free and are available in 8.5oz ‘sharing’ bags for a RRP of $3.79.
Cardi go on without you
Rap Snacks has unveiled an assortment of new flavors honoring the Invasion of Privacy singer Cardi B.
Grammy-winner Cardi is the first artist in Rap Snack’s history to be given four flavors of the viral music-themed treat, including Cheddar BBQ and Jerk BBZ potato chips, and Honey Drip Butter and Habanero Hot Cheese popcorn.
According to the snack company, Cardi B is a great fit for the brand, which embraces the evolving hip-hop culture and promotes authenticity.
In addition to the Cardi collection, the Rap Snacks team has created two new Migos flavors: Bar-B-Quin' With My Honey With A Dab of Ranch wavy chips and White Cheddar With a Dab of Ranch cheese puffs.
Late last year, the 10-year-old brand released a documentary chronicling its Boss Up Entrepreneurship Program, designed to provide an ‘enhanced entrepreneurship after-school and summer development program’ for young people.
Whole lotta lotus
Native Snacks is launching in the UK with a mission to introduce plant-based snacks from around the world.
Its inaugural product line is a range of Popped Lotus Seeds – a member of the water lily family – sourced directly from farmers in Bihar, one of the poorest states in India.
Each seed is heated using biofuels (popped shell husks and maize) before it is popped, and are naturally rich in fiber, protein, iron, zinc and phosphorus, creating a healthy, crunchy snack.
The packs contain less than 99 calories, 60% less fat compared to traditional crisps and are a source of fiber. All three flavours are also vegan, non-GMO and halal, as well as gluten-, sugar- and MSG-free, with no artificial ingredients.
Available in three variants – Jalapeño & Kaffir Lime, Pink Salt & Black Pepper and Cheesy – the vegan-friendly snacks have secured listings with retailer Sourced Market and wholesalers Marigold, Stores Supply and Taste Distribution.
Native has collaborated with the Bihar Development Foundation UK to ensure the lotus seed farmers get something back from the people who snack on them. For every pack sold, the brand will donate 1p to support health camps in Bihar to detect risks of heart disease and strokes and create awareness about infections.
Just the way you are
Liquid drink mix producer DreamPak is entering the food space with a ready-to-cook pancake batter.
Utilizing the same 'shelf-stable by formulation' technology that it uses for its beverages, Mr. Batter’s Ready-to-Cook Buttermilk Pancake Batter will be merchandised in the centerstore breakfast section and does not require refrigeration even after opening.
According to DreamPak, Mr. Batter’s is the first complete, ready-to-cook liquid pancake batter on the market.
It is delivered in a convenient 16oz bottle designed to be poured directly onto a pan or griddle, making up to 15 individual pancakes, without the need to add any further ingredients – not even water.
DreamPak is strategically attacking the breakfast segment, which it claims has lacked innovation regarding convenient delivery formats (such as a liquid batter) over the past several decades.
The company has hinted at future variations with the inclusion of chocolate chips or other pieces, while it said it is also exploring how its liquid batter can be used to make inroads into the shelf-stable dessert category.
Mr. Batter is available through select US grocery chains including Hy-Vee, as well as in a private label version.
